YENA

But Nolan wasn’t actually up for it that night.

He’d had too much wine, I came to realize.

He got kind of childlike and cuddly. He wouldn’t stop telling me I was beautiful.

I took the drunken compliments with a grain of salt. But I couldn’t help enjoying this side of him. It was cute.

He wrapped us up together in one of the satin sheets, pulled it tight and held me close.

He passed out holding me, with my head smashed into his chest.

I’m pretty sure he fell asleep while sniffing my hair.

I wriggled out of the bear hug and got myself a little more comfortable. He hugged me back into him, as tightly as I’d let him.

The passion and tension I had with this man could be exhilarating. But it was exhausting, too.

This felt nice tonight. His guard was down. He was being affectionate and vulnerable.

I stroked his dark hair and admired his beautiful face.

His eyelashes were long and deep black.

His beard scruff was already growing in, though he’d just shaved this afternoon. I ran my thumb along the tiny stubble, tracing the sharp edge of his jaw.

He was so arrogant. So scripted and indifferent. So cold and controlling.

But I saw now that was just a mask.

On the inside, he was a whole person.

A person I was starting to see, just a little at a time.

I kissed him lightly and fell asleep in his arms.

We left the next morning for our honeymoon.

We went to the human world, I figured because Nolan wanted to get away from the press back home.

Our first order of business was to pay a visit to the Head of State. It was our obligation as foreign royals, he said, to make an appearance on the day of our arrival.

Everyone there made a big fuss over us.

It was a lot for me.

A lot of attention. A lot of wide, wondering eyes.

I was asked to pose for more photos than on my wedding day. My cheeks were aching from all the fake smiling by the end of the visit.

But the next day, the prince surprised me with something wonderful.

He woke me early and told me to get dressed. Wear something nice, he said. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going.

We took a long car ride, heading toward the city. The skyscrapers in the distance looked like props from a movie set. I’d never seen a human city in person before.

At last we arrived and the surprise was revealed.

We were attending a runway show featuring designs by one of my favorite human designers, at a big beautiful theater by the beach.

It occurred to me that this might have been Nolan’s plan all along. Why we came all the way here for our honeymoon.

This show only happened once a year. I never thought I’d ever be able to see it in person.

We sat, of course, in the front row.

The designs were exquisite. The models moved with fluid grace across the runway, seeming almost to float.

The lights were beautiful. The music was entrancing.

But the prince was distracted.

I knew it wasn’t an option to tell him to silence his phone. He was an important man. If he was needed, he had to answer.

He mouthed, Excuse me, and stepped away to pick up the call.

He came back quickly. That would have been the last I thought of it.

But then a second call came. Again he had to stand in the middle of the show and exit.

It was getting pretty rude. We were sitting at the edge of the runway. Every person in the audience could see him every time he did this.

The third time it happened, I was watching. I saw the phone come out of his pocket, and I saw the caller ID before Nolan could pivot the screen away from my view.

It was Gina.

That’s who was calling him.

I was hardly able to watch the rest of the show. The lights and music faded into the background.

The prince came back and sat down for the last time, just as the show was wrapping up. The last model finished her turn, and the designer came out to take her bow.

Everyone stood to applaud. I rose and clapped my hands. But I was still thinking.

Nolan must have had a reason for marrying me.

But if he didn’t love me, then what was the reason? What purpose did I serve to him?

The designer and her models made their final walk down and up the runway. The applause and fanfare continued.

I looked up at Nolan.

He was being his stoic self, clapping along with the crowd. Showing up, looking good, fitting in. That’s what he did.

But I’d gotten a little glimpse past this princely exterior. And it was enough.

Enough to know that it was all over for me.

I was in love with him.

I wished I wasn’t.

NOLAN

The prince was resting on a sofa in their hotel suite while Yena took a bath. He should have been reading the legal briefs his secretary emailed him this morning. But the trip was wearing on him.

He sat with his head back and rested his eyes.

It was their honeymoon, but they were still royalty.

And royals never took true vacations.

Yes, he and Yena were less conspicuous here in the human world than they were back home. Less easily recognized.

But the prince and princess could not travel without security. They brought only a few guards along on the trip, but the detail was not discreet enough to keep attention off the couple in public spaces. Nolan and Yena were always being watched and photographed.

It was not exactly a comfortable lover’s retreat.

But the more time he spent with his new bride, the happier Nolan felt. Even if they were just side by side at a state dinner.

Being with her felt simple. Natural. Easy.

His wolf spoke to him.

You smile when you even think of her, Kent said.

This attraction goes beyond the physical. You love her.

Nolan was still resisting that last bit.

No, he insisted. He was drawn to her by instinct, because she was his mate.

That was all.

Don’t be so stubborn, the wolf said.

Love, Nolan thought, was a dangerous emotion.

It was a weakness. And not something that he had room for in his life.

His phone rang.

It was Gina. Yet again.

He answered politely.

“Nolan,” she said, “I’m so sorry to bother you again. But I need to ask you just one more little favor.”

He interrupted before she could say more.

“Whatever you need money for, just call my secretary in the morning and he will take care of it,” he said. “But please listen to me. This is the last time I will help you out like this.”

Gina tried to cut back in, saying, “But I —”

“Do not contact me again for trivial matters like this,” he finished.

“Nolan,” she cried out, her voice pleading. “Are you really in love with that fat girl?”

He opened his mouth to answer but could not get any words to come out.